Agency Recognized Only That He Held A Foreign-Based Private Pilot License

There has been an article racing across the Internet that the FAA had at one point praised Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz ... who flew his Airbus A320 into the ground in the French Alps. But further research indicates that the article is fake.

Newsweek reports that the article first surfaced on a site claiming to be the "Aviation Business Gazette", and it was picked up by The Drudge Report, the BBC, CNN Fox, Russia Today, and other media outlets. It had also gathered up about 400 "shares" on Facebook.

The article reportedly stated that the FAA had at one time said that Lubitz set a "positive example" for other pilots. However, an FAA spokesperson told Newsweek that the agency's database only indicates that Lubitz held a foreign-based private pilot license for single engine airplane, land and gliders. It says he is English Proficient.

The website apparently has an identical article for every person in the FAA's Airmen Certification Database, saying each has been recognized as setting a "positive example."

The domain for the “Aviation Business Gazette” is privately registered, and its owner was not available for comment, according to Newsweek.

(Image: Screen capture of FAA Database)

FMI: www.faa.gov